The Woman in White (11/4/05)- the good, the bad, and the downright ugly

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:02am

Just back from this evening's performance. Overall, I really, really liked the show. Some will say it's boring, but for the most part, I was riveted throughout the evening.

The Good
The entire principle cast. Walter Charles is effective in a tiny role. Adam Brazier sings very well and makes the most out of a difficult role. Jill Paice was solid. Angela Christian has a beautiful voice, and is a haunting presence throughout. Ron Bohmer surprised the hell out of me- he's so wonderful in this role. Michael Ball is delightful and funny as Fosco, and lightens up a heavy evening.

The real surprise for me, however, was Miss Lisa Brescia, on as Marian for just the second time. I strongly disliked her Amneris in Aida. I thought she was way out of her element. However, as Marian, she is clearly in her element. If this is what she is like after just one performance, I can only imagine how good she'll be in a week. She gave a beautiful, layered performance, and sung like a dream. If the show was opening tomorrow, she'd get excellent reviews, and the show doesn't lose a beat at all without Freidman, who I'm sure is also wonderful.

Also under the good was Webber's music. He has a knack for writing full, lush melodies. The music he writes here is haunting and eery, and it serves the mood of the piece very well. It's orchestrated very well, too. I loved the music (not the lyrics, but more on that later).

Also falling under the "good" was the story itself. It's been a long time since I've read the book (though I'm gonna pick it up again now), but this story held my interest for the entire show. Once it gets going, it keeps building and building. The tension continues to rise and comes to a feverpitch in a brilliant Act 2 sequence. If you like this kind of English Victorian mystery, you'll love this show. Nunn ought to be commended for building the tension as the show goes on, and creating a mysterious, almost scary environment that the events play out in.

The Bad
Simply put, the lyrics. Why does Webber always saddle himself with bad lyricists, save for Tim Rice? The lyrics in this show are never more than pedestrian, and at times they are downright amateurish. The beautiful music deserves much better lyrics. There are also several sequences that probably would be better served as actual book scenes, rather than being sung through.

Also "bad" is about the first 20-25 minutes of Act 1. Not very much happens, and we see a lot of the same thing taking place in multiple songs. I honestly thought I was going to hate the show at that point, but it does pick up. The show opens with a sequence in a rail yard, then moves to a trite, silly number. The rail yard sequence is fine, because it introduces the title character whom everything revolves around, but it's gotta be followed up with something better. Those first 20 minutes need some tightening and/or cutting.

The Ugly
The set. What a stupid concept- the "virtual set". Several people complained of being dizzy, though it didn't bother me that much. At times I felt like this was an IMAX movie, with the constantly moving landscape projections. I get what they were trying to do, but it really doesn't work. It would have been a lot nicer had someone tried to actually design the spooky rail yard, the beautiful mansion, and all the other sets.

I should mention that Webber, Trevor Nunn, and Kristen Blodgette were all standing at the back of the theatre taking notes throughout the performance. Hopefully they'll work on those first 20 minutes because they've got something here. It's a wonderful story with a solid score. The audience seemed to love it- they all jumped to their feet during the curtain call. And the house was packed too.


Updated On: 11/5/05 at 01:02 AM

[pab]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:18am

"Why does Webber always saddle himself with bad lyricists?"

I assume you mean after Tim Rice.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:21am

Yes, you're right. I'm gonna go clarify my original post.

[jo]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:27am

Sometimes I wonder if the reason why people get impatient with the relatively slow pace of the first act is -- because like any mystery story, the opening scenes of the show ( like a novel) are packed with myriads of details and introduction of key characters to lay the background for the eventual development of the story and its suspenseful climax? Unlike most musicals these days where the plot is obvious almost from Act 1, Scene 1, one has to wait until the story and events unfold and the characters develop in this musical drama.

At any rate, it is a different experience, as if one (in the audience) is actually a part of solving the mystery that is being unveiled. A musical, gothic who-dun-it --- in Victorian England ? Why ever not?

Go see and enjoy the show





Updated On: 11/5/05 at 01:27 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:32am

i'll be there tomorrow night. very excited for Lisa Brescia's interpretation of Marian!

[rusmic]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:43am

Thank you for posting this review adamgreer. It's great to read clear, concise reasoning behind statements about shows rather than a general statement that something is great or something is terrible. While everyone may not agree about the show, at least you give them points to discuss.

[FrontRowFirst]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:22am

Getting ready to purchase tickets to this show, and the "virtual set" description makes me more cautious about where I sit. There are a pair of Row B center tickets available, but would that put me too close and make me one of the dizzy ones? Any guidance would be appreciated.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:29am

I'm ecstatic about the "virtual sets". From what I hear, most others find the idea purposeful; that is, producers aren't trying to simply incorporate a gimmick. They instead, are trying to use a new and fresh idea to tell an old story.

Thanks for the review. Less than three weeks until I get to see it!
Updated On: 11/5/05 at 11:29 AM

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 11:40am

I'm seeing it on December 11th. Can't wait!

Great review of the show, adamgreer. I saw it in London and can't wait to see it over here.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 2:06pm

While I haven't seen the show, yet, I have listened to the CD and I was disappointed in the lyrics. And considering that David Zippel wrote one of the most brilliant set of lyrics heard in the '90's for Cy Coleman's "City of Angels", I was very disappointed in the lyrics. (Though, he did also write the really not very good lyrics to Marvin Hamlisch's "Goodbye Girl", too.)

But, I think that it's not entirely his fault. I think that, in much the same way that "Totes" rain hats repel rain water (if anyone remembers that old TV commercial) quasi-sungthrough musicals basically repel good lyrics.

And, as the story is a melodrama, the lyrics have to be melodramatic, giving them very little time, space or breath to be clever or intelligent. I think that the only song in the show that has any real life to it is Count Fosco's "You Can Get Away With Anything," maybe because it is one of the few numbers that doesn't really have anything to do with the plot.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 2:46pm

Just to clarify...

I don't think the projections were gimmicky at all. I just don't think they worked very well.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:02pm

So, what's up with the lyrics? What are they so bad? If you're going to say they're terrible lyrics, give me some examples, okay? I wanna know what makes them so bad? Also, what did you mean by "pedestrian..." what exactly do you mean in reference to the lyrics. Thanks.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:13pm

Woah RentBoy. Down.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:15pm

i want to know too.

what's wrong with the lyrics.
examples?

i think they're pretty great.

[Caleb]

Posted: 11/5/05 at 5:06pm

I love David Zippel as a lyricist in general, but I think his lyrics for this show are hit and miss. They're not bad overall, but they're spotty. There are some good moments.

There are a few examples of his rhymes being very predictable.

"Secrets kept inside can hurt you.
Mine is sharper than a knife.
If I tell the one I seek,
I may save her life."

I may be the only person who doesn't like this line, but I hate the fact that the second I hear the word knife, I know what the rhyme is going to be. Also, I think the comparison of a secret to the sharpness of a knife is a little desperate.

I think the lyrics overall to "The Document" are a little clumsy. There are also some places where it seems like certain words just don't belong, like Marian's line in "Perspective":

"I'm a notch below a chimpanzee."

We're in Victorian England, why are we talking about chimps?

That being said, there are several moments where Zippel's words really shine. He's really most in his element with funny, clever lyrics. Almost all of Fosco's lyrics are fantastic, with his arrival and "The Seduction" as highlights for me. I especially love the line, "And that dress you're falling out of is exquisite."

Also the meeting of Marian, Laura, and Anne is very haunting and moving. And, in what looks like the song that is the highlight for everyone, the lyrics in "All For Laura" are very strong.

So, it's not really that Zippel's lyrics are bad. It's that they're good one moment and then mediocre the next (in my opinion)

[mysterychix]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 12:23am

"I'm a notch below a chimpanzee."

We're in Victorian England, why are we talking about chimps?

*************************************************************

Well the book was written in 1860 at the height of the era or British colonization of both India and Africa, so you would have seen monkeys and elephants and other symbols of these exotic lands in the furniture and textiles of the time period, so I didn't think that the reference to the chimpanzee was all that "out of line"...

I mean there is a chimpanzee on the music box in POTO and that is set in 1881, so I don't think it would be unusual to mention chimps in Victorian England.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 12:31am

because chimpanzees were popular subjects for sketching in 19th century Europe. They are talked about in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE as well.

[FriedmanFan]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 11:27am

Caleb wrote:
"Secrets kept inside can hurt you.
Mine is sharper than a knife.
If I tell the one I seek,
I may save her life."
"I think the comparison of a secret to the sharpness of a knife is a little desperate."

The lyrics don't compare a "secret" to the sharpness of a knife. They compare the HURT of KEEPING secrets to the sharpness of a knife. I think that makes total sense.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 11:35am

i agree you guys.

so far caleb hasn't really supported himself.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 11:45am

He's supported himself. I just don't agree with the conclusions he has drawn.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 11:52am

I had never heard the score before attending Friday's performance. As such, I don't remember specific line references, because I've only heard it once. However, there were several points in the show where I could see the rhymes coming a mile away. When I get the CD, I will be able to provide specific examples.

Speaking of the CD, they were selling two different versions of it in the theater. One appeared to be a collector's edition of some type, while the other was the standard jewel case CD. Is the content on both the same, or is one more "complete" than the other?

[AnotherDay46]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 12:23pm

adamgreer - One has the lyrics to the show in it, I believe.

I think they lyircs are okay in the show, some are really nice, such as the ones in If I Could Only Dream This World Away, and All For Laura and a few others.

And some are not so good, the only one I can not stand (even in the context of the actual show) is when Marian is with Fosco and sings, "You may dine on anything you wish, though I'd wait for dinner we are serving fish." That line just always makes me cringe.

Don't get me wrong though, I *love* this show. ^__^
Updated On: 11/6/05 at 12:23 PM

[Sir Percival Glyde]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 12:23pm

i highly anticipate it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 1:12pm

I also really loved the show. I'm just saying I had a problem with some of the lyrics.

Now that you mention it, I remember the fish line too.

[kec]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 1:21pm

Two cds? I've only heard of the one -- the London cast. That one is a two-cd set and includes the libretto of the show. I wonder if the other one is Phantasia, which has instrumentals of both Phantom of the Opera and The Woman in White?

Or, could it be that the other one is "highlights" that would include Michael Ball's Fosco as opposed to Michael Crawford's Fosco which is on the OLCR? One can only hope...
Updated On: 11/6/05 at 01:21 PM